The contribution to palliative care of allied health professions

This chapter outlines the key work of allied health professionals within the palliative care team. Palliative care has been very successful at taking ideas, values, and techniques from other disciplines in healthcare. Such borrowing of ideas has nearly always included considerable adaptation from the parent discipline. However, the notion of cross-boundary, interdisciplinary working is now highly developed in palliative care. Some disciplines such as medicine and nursing have become core parts of the specialist team, whereas others have been accessed on an as-required basis. Increasingly, individual allied health professions have seen the need to evolve the palliative care specialism within the generic discipline. Allied health professionals include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nutritional experts, speech and language therapists, clinical psychologists, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, and art and music therapists.

2021 ◽  
pp. 131-150
Author(s):  
Susan Nancarrow ◽  
Alan Borthwick

This chapter draws on the examples of occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) and podiatry assistants to examine the development and growth of the support workforce in allied health, and the considerations for the allied health professions. Allied health professionals have successfully devolved several aspects of their work to a growing support workforce, such as allied health assistants. These roles are becoming increasingly standardised in terms of training, titles, recognition and regulation. These occupations are often seen as transitional roles rather than aspiring professions in their own right, and may occupy an interdisciplinary space; however, there is evidence of growth and extended scope within these disciplines, such as the expansion of OTA roles into assistant practitioners.


Geriatrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah L. Young ◽  
David G. Smithard

The term frailty is being increasingly used by clinicians, however there is no strict consensus on the best screening method. The expectation in England is that all older patients should have the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) completed on admission. This will frequently rely on junior medical staff and nurses, raising the question as to whether there is consistency. We asked 124 members of a multidisciplinary team (consultants, junior doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals; physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, speech and language therapists) to complete the CFS for seven case scenarios. The majority of the participants, 91/124 (72%), were trainee medical staff, 16 were senior medical staff, 12 were allied health professions, and 6 were nurses. There was broad agreement both between the professions and within the professions, with median CFS scores varying by a maximum of only one point, except in case scenario G, where there was a two-point difference between the most junior trainees (FY1) and the nursing staff. No difference (using the Mann–Whitney U test) was found between the different staff groups, with the median scores and range of scores being similar. This study has confirmed there is agreement between different staff members when calculating the CFS with no specific preceding training.


Author(s):  
Max Watson ◽  
Caroline Lucas ◽  
Andrew Hoy ◽  
Jo Wells

This chapter contains a very brief introduction to the contribution to palliative care of allied health professions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262094876
Author(s):  
Fiona Nouri ◽  
Carol Coole ◽  
Genevieve Smyth ◽  
Avril Drummond

Introduction Although the role of occupational therapists in the provision of vocational support is established, there has been little research into their role in issuing Allied Health Professions Health and Work Reports or their potential to complete fit notes. Method Employed patients ( n = 14) and stakeholders ( n = 12) took part in semi-structured telephone interviews and were questioned about occupational therapy-run vocational clinics, experiences of the Allied Health Professions Health and Work Reports and their views of occupational therapists completing fit notes. Results Most interviewees saw the Allied Health Professions Health and Work Report as a valuable tool in affecting return to work and even employers with access to in-house occupational health predominantly found it useful in corroborating recommendations. There was consensus, amongst patients and stakeholders, that completion of the fit note by the occupational therapist could reduce the burden on the general practitioner, and potentially provide more in-depth advice via the ‘may be fit’ option. However, stakeholders strongly believed that the profile of the Allied Health Professions Health and Work Report needed to be raised nationally. Conclusion The potential value of Allied Health Professions Health and Work Reports in primary care is recognised. However, in order to maximise this, its profile and utility needs to be raised nationally as a matter of urgency. There was also support for occupational therapists completing fit notes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 030802262199858
Author(s):  
Joanne Ablewhite ◽  
Carol Coole ◽  
Stathis T Konstantinidis ◽  
Aaron Fecowycz ◽  
Sayeed Khan ◽  
...  

Introduction There is a concern that occupational therapists lack confidence in advising on fitness to work. The aim of this study was to compare two training methods of improving occupational therapists’ confidence in completing the Allied Health Professions Health and Work Report (AHP H&WR). Method A mixed-methods study was conducted. Occupational therapists were recruited to face-to-face ( n = 14) or online ( n = 18) training. Data were collected via questionnaires at baseline, one week and eight weeks post-training, and using semi-structured telephone interviews. Questionnaire data were analysed descriptively; interviews were analysed thematically. Results It was possible to recruit and retain participants to the study. Occupational therapists from both groups reported that the training improved their confidence in completing the AHP H&WR. However, the majority did not have the opportunity to complete an AHP H&WR in practice during the follow-up period. Conclusion Similar results for both training methods shows promise for further development and testing. There is therefore potential to conduct a definitive study in this area.


Author(s):  
Susan Nancarrow ◽  
Alan Borthwick

The allied health professions have gained legitimacy through the pursuit of research evidence and the standardisation of practice. Yet there remains very little analysis or understanding of these professions. Adopting theory from the sociology of health professions, this book explores the sociological, economic, political and philosophical pressures that have shaped the professions. Drawing on case studies and examples from occupations including optometrists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists to emerging vocations, including pedorthists and allied health assistants, the book offers an innovative comparison of allied health professions in Australia and Britain. By telling the story of their past, the book prepares the allied health professions for a new and different future.


2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Miller ◽  
David C. Berry

Each allied-health profession has their own particular expertise but also shares some commonalities. One such commonality should be knowledge of health-related physical fitness relating to the health and well-being of individuals. Although the benefits of health-related physical fitness has been well documented, few studies have examined the level of health-related physical fitness knowledge among allied-health professions. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to assess the health-related physical fitness knowledge of three allied-health professions using a 40 item multiple-choice test designed to assess knowledge in five domains of health-related physical fitness. Results indicated that student athletic trainers scored significantly higher on the post-test versus pre-test. On the post-test, athletic training and physical therapy groups scored significantly higher than the nursing group. The information from this study may be valuable in aiding educators in developing appropriate curriculums to better prepare students for their role as allied-health professionals.


Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deidre D. Morgan ◽  
Deb Rawlings ◽  
Carly J. Moores ◽  
Lizzie Button ◽  
Jennifer J. Tieman

CareSearch is an Australian Government Department of Health funded repository of evidence-based palliative care information and resources. The CareSearch Allied Health Hub was developed in 2013 to support all allied health professionals working with palliative care clients in all clinical settings. This cross-sectional online survey sought to elicit allied health professionals palliative care experiences and subsequent considerations for educational and clinical practice needs. The survey was disseminated nationally via a range of organisations. Data was collected about palliative care knowledge, experience working with palliative care clients and professional development needs. Data were evaluated by profession, experience and practice setting. In total, 217 respondents answered one or more survey questions (94%). Respondents (65%) reported seeing >15 palliative care clients per month with 84% seen in hospital and community settings. Undergraduate education underprepared or partially prepared allied health professionals to work with these clients (96%) and 67% identified the need for further education. Access to postgraduate professional development was limited by available backfill and funding. Study findings support the importance of free, accessible, relevant educational and professional development resources to support clinical practice. This is particularly relevant for allied health professionals who have limited opportunities to attend formal professional development sessions.


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